West Hartford Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Narcotics Trafficking Offense

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JEIMY RODRIGUEZ, 39, of West Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Hartford Task Force began investigating a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was distributing kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in Connecticut. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, controlled purchases of narcotics, and other investigative techniques. During the early stages of the investigation, Rodriguez was the president of the Loose Cannonz motorcycle club. The investigation revealed that Rodriguez and his co-defendants, including one who succeeded him as president of the Loose Cannonz, were receiving shipments of fentanyl and cocaine for distribution in the Hartford area.

On March 13, 2023, investigators made a controlled purchase of approximately 80 grams of fentanyl from Rodriguez at his auto repair shop on Broad Street in Hartford. On April 7, 2023, investigators purchased approximately 86 grams of cocaine from Rodriguez in the vicinity of Zion and Hamilton Streets in Hartford. The cocaine appeared to be broken off of a kilogram brick of cocaine.

On June 7, 2023, Rodriguez was arrested at West Hartford residence. Investigators located and seized two firearms in Rodriguez's home at the time of his arrest. On that date, a search of the Loose Cannonz club in Hartford revealed an additional quantity of fentanyl.

Rodriguez has been detained since his arrest. On June 27, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

This investigation is being conducted by the DEA's Hartford Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington and A. Reed Durham.

The case is being prosecuted through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.